Independent Filmmaker

My Conversation with Nagraj Manjule

This video of my conversation with Nagraj Manjule at IFFLA 2014 has been viewed thousands of times over the past few weeks since the release of Nagraj’s new film Sairat – the highest grossing Marathi film of all time and one that created a stir at Berlinale and Cannes. Sairat treads on familiar thematic territory for Nagraj, the archaic and iniquitous caste system of India. There may have been affirmative action in India to create ‘an even playing field’ but the reality of discrimination on the basis of caste is still widely prevalent throughout India today. The ‘topic’ of star crossed lovers, unable to be together because they don’t belong to the same ‘class’ and/ or ‘caste’ has been glossed over superficially in mainstream cinema ad nauseum, but it takes a man with the sensitivity, humanity, courage and ‘truth-telling’ of Nagraj Manjule to call it like it IS. This interview about Fandry, his first film holds true for Sairat too, I am sure.

“It’s not a story for me, it’s my real life, it’s what I see around me that I tell stories about.”

Here is a trailer of Sairat..now to get this film to San Diego some how..